Questions tagged [books]
Questions concerning chess literature.
143
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Suggestions about books to read
I am a beginner player and I am studying the game on some classical books: I began with "A primer of chess" by Capablanca. I would like to continue with these 3 books:
"Chess ...
4
votes
2answers
126 views
What did R.H.M. stand for?
I have a number of old chess books published by R.H.M. Press. I am curious as to whether "R.H.M." are the initials of something or someone, and if so, what?
As I understand it, R.H.M. Press was the ...
4
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3answers
137 views
Which book should one read if they want to play like Tigran Petrosian?
According to Wikipedia, the former world champion Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian has "almost impenetrable defensive playing style, which emphasized safety above all else".
Here defensive is by no ...
5
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1answer
332 views
How to proceed with the book “Pawn Structure Chess” by Andrew Soltis?
Should I memorize everything in the book, or use it in some other way?
6
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1answer
368 views
How do I know what chess books to buy?
I have a lot of my own chess games in pgn format, Im wondering if there is a tool that examines my games and suggests what books I should buy to improve?
4
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2answers
179 views
Good books to learn the Ruy Lopez with
I have a very poor repertoire; with White I only play d4, and though I'm quite familiarized with the possibilities on this opening move, I'm lost regarding 1. e4.
Trying to gain flexibility, I want ...
5
votes
1answer
113 views
Does the Réti opening continuing to evolve?
"How to win in the chess openings" by I.A. Horowitz states, regarding the Réti opening, that "there is no known way which leads to an advantage for white" which leads to the conclusion that it should ...
4
votes
1answer
115 views
Guide to using a book
I am currently twenty years old. I learned the rules of chess when I was eight and played on and off for a long time. However, I did not take it seriously. Recently after joining chess.com and trying ...
3
votes
1answer
109 views
Which endgame manual?
Which endgame manual do you recommend and why?
• Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual
• Fundamental Chess Endings (Muller & Lamprecht)
• Silman's Complete Endgame Course
• Some other book
I am ...
4
votes
1answer
613 views
How to use Polyglot opening book bin file
I previously asked how to use polyglot in c# with a chess engine. My question then was not accurate. What I want to know is, what property(ies) of the bin file object I need to do the following:
I ...
13
votes
2answers
2k views
Trading queens in the opening
Which standard openings in chess usually pave the way for an early queen trade in the game? In other words, which opening has a high probability of exchanging the queens in the opening itself? Does ...
3
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3answers
90 views
Are there any books pamphlets or articles on how to train to play at GM level?
CL&R had an article about how Fischer trained at a spa in the Adirondacks for an upcoming match.
One thing he did was swim and also hold his breath for as long as he could. Not sure that ...
4
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1answer
73 views
Did any other language than English ever use Descriptive notation? Which languages have always used Algebraic?
Descriptive notation seems to be limited to certain languages like English, and I found a Wikipedia article that mentions Spanish and French.
I have never seen a Russian book that uses Descriptive, ...
4
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2answers
178 views
Can anyone recommend a positional book focused on preparing pawn breaks?
Feel free to share more than one book. I'm very interested in understanding better those preparatory moves.
21
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2answers
5k views
What is the Dorfman method in chess?
On various occasions in commentaries or interviews, e.g. during the World Championship commentary with Peter Svidler and Anish Giri, I've heard the Dorfman method being mentioned. I then learned that ...
6
votes
1answer
195 views
What are good resources to use to learn how to best use pawns and pawn structures?
Pawn structure seems to be one of the key areas that a player needs to know well to be able to have a high rating.
What are the best ways to learn how to best use pawns and pawn structure?
2
votes
1answer
98 views
How to use a Polyglot book in C# with a chess engine
I would like, if possible, for someone to provide a code snippet of a basic logic to access a Polyglot book file. I'm having trouble finding the file format documentation, so I don't know how to ...
9
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3answers
707 views
Books on opening theory organized around tactical/strategic motives, not opening lines
"Understand your openings, not just memorize lines" is a common advice given to a club level player. However, most opening books are still organized around lines, amended with some explanations that ...
18
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5answers
5k views
How to improve from ~1200?
I am not new to the game of Chess. I have been (casually) playing it for over a decade, and I would like to get better at it.
I know the basic rules of the game very well, I understand basic tactics ...
2
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3answers
123 views
Books for beginners who have hard time understanding positions of pieces?
I'm new here and I found a book called Logical Chess by Chernev. Is this a great book to start if you are a beginner and you only know how to move pieces but not how to develop them? I'm having a hard ...
5
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6answers
313 views
What was the first “Opening Repertoire” book?
As title above states, what was/were the first "Opening Repertoire" book/s? I remember that opening books of the 1970s and early 1980s weren't actually repertoires for White or Black, but treatises on ...
7
votes
2answers
991 views
Is it possible to reach master level without studying theory?
Wikipedia page for GM Granda from Peru says:
Julio Granda does not study opening theory. He has said that he has
only read a chess book, the third volume of the General Chess Treaty
of Roberto Grau. ...
4
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1answer
84 views
Intermediate Chess Books
Does anyone have any suggestions for intermediate chess books? Tactics or endgames would be the topic that I'd mainly like to focus on!
5
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2answers
285 views
Who has the biggest chess library?
I once had 1800 chess books before I sold off about 600 of the least-good ones and doubles (I used to buy entire collections from people, so you get some stuff you do not want).
I know an IM friend ...
4
votes
1answer
102 views
How does the move order 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 “rule out Philidor's Defence 2…d6”?
So I was reading "An Opening Repertoire for the Positional Player", by Gufeld and Kalinich, and found the title's assertion. And I just can't think why after "1. e4 e5 2. Nc3", d6 would be bad for ...
20
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3answers
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Did Bobby Fischer actually write “Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess”?
Did Bobby Fischer actually write his bestseller primer “Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess” (1966, 978-0553130539), or was it written by a ghost writer?
I often ask myself this question because it seems ...
4
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2answers
237 views
Does anyone have a version of the 50x50 article by Nikita Plaksin?
In 1979, Nikita M. Plaksin published a reportedly fascinating article containing 50 problems all related to the 50 moves rule. Unfortunately I can't find it anywhere, the only links that I could find ...
4
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2answers
150 views
Does anyone know if there is an English translation of this book?
It is a book written by Boris Zlotnik. I found some books from him in search, but I'm not sure whether the same book. Some titles with chess course vol.1, vol2., etc..
2
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1answer
158 views
Analysis of chess by Philidor in PGN
Where can I find games annotated by Philidor in his book in a PGN file?
0
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1answer
153 views
How would I train like Bobby Fischer did? [closed]
As the title suggests, I want to know how to train like Bobby Fischer did, along with what books he read during his chess training. Remember, keyword is TRAIN. I don’t want to be like him, as that is ...
5
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3answers
377 views
Chess strategy versus positional chess
If one master writes a book on chess strategy (example here) and another writes a book on positional chess (example here), are they writing more or less on the same subject?
Do other major chess ...
0
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1answer
224 views
Chess software for writing books
I am currently converting some of my chess books into electronic format by manually copying the pgn and making notes. I have found lichess study and chessable courses to be useful in doing this. ...
0
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1answer
153 views
Is there a GUI software that exports chess diagrams for chess authors?
Is there a program either Linux or a Windows program that can create a chess position and save it as an image. That image can then be used by the chess author in a book that is being written.
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2answers
100 views
Ambiguity in Text
John Nunn mentions the following in Understanding Chess: Move by Move (2002):
Pawn weaknesses vary in severity according to two factors: 1) whether there is any possibility of liquidating the ...
6
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4answers
275 views
How can I improve my knowledge of pawn structure theory?
What resources (books, videos, websites) are there to help me improve my understanding of pawn structures?
3
votes
3answers
397 views
How to improve my game
I am doing tactics 30 minutes a day, practicing end games for about 90 minutes and analyzing 1 GM annotated game a day.
I can understand the logic behind why the move is played, but I can't apply it ...
6
votes
1answer
201 views
Autobiography by Sonja Graf
In the book "Chess Bitch" by Jennifer Shahade I have read that Sonja Graf has written an autobiography in Spanish. Can anyone help me locate the book? It could be in Spanish, German, English or ...
2
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3answers
240 views
Sales rankings for chess books?
Are there any estimates sales rankings for chess books? How much do a bestselling chess book generally sell?
3
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5answers
440 views
Book recommendations on Pawn Endgame for intermediate and advanced level players?
I just started preparing Endgame using Dvoretsky Endgame Manual. I am wondering if there are more books online about Pawn Endgames that I can use side by side either as an additional study material or ...
6
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3answers
227 views
How should I read chess books that show games or parts of games?
When reading books like Sorcerer's Apprentice or Life & Games of Mikhail Tal, often a position is shown followed by a list of moves, then another key position, then more moves, and another ...
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2answers
2k views
What are weak squares in chess; how can they help to mate another player? [closed]
I read this concept in a book but I didn't understand much about the concept. Can anybody explain this concept with an example?
2
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2answers
155 views
What are some chess books on openings which include computer analysis?
I once had a book on the sharp Wilkes-Barre variation of the Two Knights Defense written in the 1970s in which there were a few moves which were said to be clearly winning for one side in which a ...
6
votes
1answer
255 views
Looking for a specific chess book
My father taught me chess at a young age. I am still not very good, though. Now, we have started again playing against one another and analyze positions. He remembered a book, which he possessed but ...
4
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4answers
501 views
What is the best way to sell old chess books?
I listed some books on eBay but had little interest (few pageviews/few bids etc.) meaning that I would make an untenable loss on them (I'm not selling them for profit, but I want a reasonable price ...
11
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4answers
3k views
Failing to understand a pin from a tactics book
I've began going through, over the board, 1001 Winning Chess Sacrifices and Combinations - 21st century edition. This book is a great supplement to my last question on studying tactics, and I feel ...
5
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5answers
793 views
Getting the most out of chess books
I have a bunch of chess books that have been given to me on my favorite openings. I usually try to do a few games from them after I play my daily games and go over how I could improve with a chess ...
3
votes
2answers
154 views
Book recommendation on zugzwang
I am looking for a book recommendation on endgames. More specifically, I want to know how to avoid zugzwang, and what to do in case it arises.
If you know of any book which has in-depth case study on ...
7
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6answers
1k views
Why are opening books so popular?
As title above, why are opening books so popular? I am sure that most players know that middlegame and endgame books are ultimately much more important for improving one's chess strength. That is not ...
2
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1answer
315 views
Chess book reviews
What are some of the useful chess book review websites or YouTube channels out there? Or even people with chess blogs or Youtube channels which occasionally post book reviews. Thanks!
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2answers
447 views
Looking for a repertoire book on the Spanish with 5.d3 (4.d3 vs the Berlin)?
Does anyone know of a good (or not so) repertoire book on the Spanish with 5.d3 vs the main line and 4.d3 vs the Berlin? Is there such a thing on the market? I've already got Andrew Martin's DVD The ...
